Starting Your Own

Friends Across Cultures

(FAC)

Building Cross Cultural Friendships
through Social Contact in
your area!

Group Founders: Julia Ferguson Andriessen and Maarten Andriessen

Home      FAC Directory of Groups   

WHAT TO DO
If you would like to create a FAC in your area, feel free to email us and see how we
can support you.  We are willing to share what we have done, what has worked and
what hasn't.  Since each area is unique, it is easier for us to be contacted and work
with you directly than try to include all aspects on this website.

Our secret however is to keep it simple. 
 

Basic Steps
1.  Evaluate your available time to commit to the group

2.  Determine a location and time

3.  Plan a marketing campaign  to inform people of your group

4.  Create the space and know people will attend

5.  Keep it simple, free (bring your own stuff or pay your own pay) and all inclusive

6.  Know that some things may go wrong but that's ok

7.  Remind yourself that you are giving back and what you give will return to you
so volunteering is a very rewarding experience in and of itself.

8. "FAC" is best left as a simple gathering - not a club with board members, dues and elections
Personalities can get nutty in those situations and undermine the reason for the group in the
first place. - To create rich and diverse cross cultural friendships.

9.  Maintain a private and confidential mailing list (email list) to inform members
of upcoming gatherings.

10.  Commit to 6 events to allow the group to grow and people to spread the word
about the FAC in your area.

11.  We will list your FAC group in a directory on this site with your contact details if
you would like.

Our Personal Goal
My  4 year experience of living in Europe showed me that many people in other countries and cultures
have a distorted and often inaccurate view of Americans and people of other nationalities.
Maarten and I would like to see that change.  We believe the best way for people to erase the
stereotypes and fear is to meet and make friends with people from other cultures.

Our dream is that we build friendships between cultures
within our local communities around the globe and eventually erase
the misguided stereotypes and inaccurate information that is bred by fear
and lack of knowledge of other races and cultures. 

At the end of each day there is only one race - the human one.
 
Together we can build global understanding and acceptance....and lasting friendship.

Contact Information

Julia and Maarten:  julia@juliaferguson.com or maarten@dutchusa.com

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